Top 7 Incredible Things To Do In Howth Dublin Ireland 2023
Howth village is on the northern peninsula of Dublin Bay. It is small for a suburb of a capital city, but it has a big name. Its beautiful setting, with the Irish Sea on three sides, makes it a popular tourist destination. Its history as a fishing village brings gourmet food lovers from all over the country to its seafood restaurants. Here is a list of the best things to do in Howth for a day.
Visit the East Pier.
The footprints of King George IV can be seen on Howth Harbour’s west pier, which also has some of the best restaurants in the village. However, the east pier is a better place for a long walk. People will probably be eating fish and chips from Beshoff Bros. and listening to live music from one or two buskers. At the end of the pier is the Harbour Lighthouse, which was built in 1817 and has a small lighthouse keeper’s house in the Georgian style. From there, you can see Ireland’s Eye and Lambay Island in a beautiful way.
Go to Ireland’s Eye by boat.
If the view from the pier isn’t close enough, Ireland’s Eye Ferries runs trips to the island every hour during the summer. Ireland’s Eye is currently empty, but around 700 AD, a monastery was built there. Here, the Garland of Howth was written. It is a piece of an old Irish manuscript that is now at Trinity College Dublin. On the island, there are the ruins of a church from the 800s and a Martello tower. It is also a safe place for birds.
Visit Howth Castle.
Howth Castle is the family home of the St Lawrence family, who were Lords of Howth from the time the Normans came to Ireland in 1066 until 1909. The story goes that Grace O’Malley, a pirate queen in the 1600s, tried to visit the castle once but couldn’t get in because the family was having dinner. In response, she kidnapped the grandson of the Earl of Howth. She would only let him go if the castle never turned anyone away again. Finnegans Wake by James Joyce tells a version of the story, and a street in Howth was named after her. The castle is one of the oldest inhabited buildings in the country. It stands on 450 acres, which are home to Europe’s largest rhododendron gardens, the National Transport Museum of Ireland, and a collapsed tomb from 2500 BC.
Check out the Cliff Path Loop.
The Cliff Path Loop walk around Howth Head goes around the harbor, around the “Nose of Howth,” and up to the top of the cliffs. Balscadden House, where W. B. Yeats lived for a short time as a child, is close to the village. The path along the edge of the cliff that starts soon after is not for people who are afraid of heights, because there are no barriers between walkers and the vast ocean below. But that is part of what makes this walk so special. It’s easy to see why James Joyce chose Howth Head, a beautiful spot on the coast, as the place where Leopold Bloom proposed to Molly in Ulysses.
See the Abbey of St. Mary.
Around 1042, King Sitric, who was the Viking King of Dublin, had the first church in Howth built on this hill with a view of the bay. It was later replaced by an abbey and joined with the monastery on the island of Ireland’s Eye, but part of the 14th-century church that still stands here is in ruins. At one point, the St. Lawrence family of Howth Castle used its east end as a private chapel and tomb. The tomb of the 13th Baron of Howth and his wife can still be found at the site.
Go to the Hurgy Gurdy Museum of Old Radios.
The Hurgy Gurdy Museum of Vintage Radio is in a Martello tower that has been lovingly restored and looks out over Howth Harbour. It is run by Pat Herbert, who has been a dedicated collector of old radios, music boxes, and gramophones for over 40 years, and a group of volunteers. From May to October, it is open every day from 11 am to 4 pm, but its hours are shorter in the winter.
Howth Market and The Dog House are worth a visit.
Since it opened nine years ago, Howth’s busy weekend market has kept getting bigger and bigger. It is close to the busy harbor and the DART train station, where lots of day trippers and tourists get off. It has up to 25 stalls full of Irish and international snacks, baked goods, jewelry, clothing, gifts, and antiques. The Dog House Blues Tea Rooms is also near the train station. It is hidden inside the arch of the old railway bridge. This is one of the best places to eat in Howth because they make great wood-fired pizzas, tea, coffee, and cakes.
Topic: Top 7 Incredible Things To Do In Howth Dublin Ireland 2023
Become a member of Our Community on Facebook “I Left My Heart in Ireland”. A place where members open up to one another, share their stories, travel photos, and experience a different way to travel Ireland – together.
By: Travel Pixy
